by Steven G. Atkinson or take a short side trip to visit our advertisers.
Hello! I’m sorry; I can’t talk right now I’m at a funeral.
It seems that when it comes to talking on their cellphone people think it’s their right to talk and use it wherever or whenever they want. But most times if you look around and think about where you are, whom you are with, or what is happening, you’d think twice about using the phone. In fact maybe you’d even think that having it turned on is not proper.
For example one day I was standing at a graveyard ceremony during a funeral and my cellphone started ringing. Fortunately it was a ring, and not one of those musical ring tones. I had thought I had turned it off before entering the funeral home, which is what I would normally have done. I obviously hadn’t. The phone ringing at that place and time was one of my most embarrassing moments.
There needs to be some cellphone etiquette. There are places where you really should turn the cellphone off, such as when you are attending a funeral or going to church. Do you really need to have your ringing or vibrating phone while you are trying to woo a prospective client?
And there are those places where you should have the phone on vibrate, which in my mind is almost anytime that you aren’t either in your own home or office.
There are places where you really don’t need to be talking on the phone, such as in a movie theatre or even at a table in a restaurant. There’s usually a lobby area where you can take an important call. Although at times I do wonder how important that call may be. It seems as if no one any more can make a decision and anything without picking up a cell phone and placing a call. “Honey, I’m at the grocery store and would you rather me get beans instead of tomatoes, the tomatoes don’t look very good.”
How many have turned to the fellow next to you, who you thought might have been asking you a question, only to discover he is deep in conversation on his cell phone.
I guess the one good thing is now if you are walking down the street talking to yourself, people will think you are just on the phone.
Controlling your wireless costs
Many businesses cringe when they open the invoice for their wireless service. It sometimes seems as if controlling these costs are a never ending game. But there quick items to look at to help control those cost.
Are you paying replacement insurance?
If you are, should you?
Replacement of a cellphone or other wireless product can be expensive. A question that need to be asked is; How many phones do you have? If you have a few, it may be a valuable cost. If you have quantity of phones then the added cost of the replacement plans may be greater than the costs of replacements.
One way to determined whether it’s a waste is to take an inventory of how many replacements you made in the past 2 years. Determined what it would have cost to replaced those phones and and compare it to the cost of the insurance. If the Replacement cost would have been less than the insurance. You didn’t need the insurance.
How are you using your minutes?
Do you regularly use more minutes than you have on your plan?
It may be easier to purchase the all inclusive unlimited plan, but for most this is much more than needed and just making a couple of minor adjustments and reductions may save a bunch of money. Also if you are using more minutes than you have on your plan even if it’s only a few times a year, moving to the next higher plan could save you a few dollars.
Are you paying for extras that aren’t being used?
Being able to make or receive a text message is great, but are you paying for a texting plan, but not using it. Most carriers have an reasonable rate for single messages. Are you using a lot of text messages that are billed at message rates? Add a texting plan.
This is also true when looking at a data plan. Are you using it? Is there a least expensive plan that fits your usage?
The only way to know for sure is to study your bills, or have an expert review the invoices. It should be done each month. After reviewing them for a perioed of time, a year period is good, you’ll see the trends on how the phones are being used.
Office Email Tips
For most of us we will send a few, or a few hundred, emails a day. Following these tips may help eliminate some common mistakes.
Enter the addresses after the message is composed.
Many messages are sent before they are finished. Waiting to add the addresses will keep the message in your draft bin until it’s ready to be sent.
Attach the attachments first.
We have all sent or have been sent a message with a missing attachment. Also be sure that it is attached and not embedded in the email. I’ve made a recent mistake like that and embedded a 4 meg pdf file in the email to a group of people. They couldn’t see the file and on their reply back the large file was in their reply. Needless to say this used a lot of band width and storage space.
Remove large attachments from replies.
Band width and storage space, see above.
Use spell and grammar check.
Business letters have a professional look, so should an email.
Keep personal messages out of business emails.
It’s possible that the email may need to be sent to an associate or supervisor for additional actions. They won’t want to know how the fishing trip went.
Don’t add a new subject to an ongoing thread and don’t combine threads.
When new subjects are added to an ongoing thread it can be confusing to the reader. If the reader only needed to be advised of what was going on, but the added subject needed their action, that action could be delayed. Combining threads generally just confuses everyone. Many email reader programs will continue the thread causing even more confusion.
Address correctly.
If it’s an informational message to many members it’s a good idea to use the Bcc: field to protect other people addresses. In my opinion this or sending the message to yourself is the only correct time to use Bcc:.
When sending to multiple persons with multiple assignments, or to let a supervisor or associate know the mail was sent, address the responsible person by name in the message.
Watch the Reply all.
Does everyone need to see your reply or only the sender? If it’s only the original sender it could save embarrassment.
Be sure to enter a subject.
The information that you put in your subject line can pass information to the recipient the importance of the message as well as how soon a respond may be needed. By leaving the subject line blank it may be ignored completely.
Check before hitting the send button.
Once the send button is press the email is in the stream and on its way to its recipient. It’s always a good idea to proofread the message and check that you have attached the attachments and addressed the message to the correct parties.
Originally published in part in 2008.
© 2008-2010 Steven G. Atkinson – All Rights Reserved
Google Voice Open for All
Earlier this week Google opened their Google Voice service to all.
Google Voice offers a single phone number that can ring on all of a user’s phones, either all of the time or by a schedule that can be applied to each number. The service also has a voice mail box which can transcribe the message to text and send it to an email address or as SMS to a cell phone.
To use the service all you need is an Google account. Currently users will have to select a number supplied by Google Voice. Although this could change in the future.
Delaware Joins Cellphone While Driving Ban
The Delaware House of Representatives passed a bill banning hand-held cell phones Tuesday, June 22, a measure that will go into affect next year. The bill also prohibits text messaging, emailing or browsing websites while driving.
The Senate passed the bill on a week earlier.
It is expected that Governor Markell will sign the measure.
Conserve Energy – A Top 10 List
10 Ways to Conserve Energy
It doesn’t matter whether you consider Global Warming a fact or a hoax. The one thing for certain is that we do harm the environment every day. These are things we can do to not only save and conserve energy but also help the environment.
10) Follow The Three ‘R’ – Recycle/Reuse/Reduce
American’s have become a very wasteful society. When our founding fathers were forming our nation, they used everything with little waste. Washington at Valley Forge, the frontier families who settled west of the Mississippi, even the families of World War II used everything.
Today nearly every item that we purchase is in some type of disposable wrapper. This wrapping is used once and thrown in the trash. This uses another piece of a resource that is diminishing. By following these three ‘R’s’ one may or may not not see a direct savings. But in some cases the cost of manufacturing the products might be less. A recycled aluminum can requires less energy to reuse. than having a new one produced from the raw materials.
9) Drive Smart
There are a number of ways that we don’t drive smart.
We are a mobile society. Many times we jump into a vehicle to attend a meeting across town without looking to see if there are other things we can be doing while in the area. How many of us have gone one place, come back only to realize we also needed to go to another either a few miles farther or someplace between the two? Planning our trips will allow us to use less fuel. it also saves time as well..
Poor maintenance of our vehicles causes us to use more fuel than required. Having the engine routinely serviced, will keep it running at peak efficiently. Don’t forget the tire pressure. Tires at the wrong pressure, especially ones that are low, is a big fuel waster. And don’t forget to have the brakes checked. A dragging brake not only causes the brakes to wear out faster, it will make the engine work harder. And use more gas.
When driving, don’t make rapid stops and starts. This, as well as exceeding the speed limit, can quickly reduce gas mileage. By using the speed control on long trips, the vehicle runs at a constant speed.
8) Heat or Cool the Living/Work Space – Not the World
Does the building have enough insulation? Older homes and building probably don’t. Windows are also an area where energy costs are moving from their desired purpose to change the temperature of the outside air.
Many homes are heating or cooling areas that are seldom used. By setting up heating and cooling areas, one can save money and energy by keeping the seldom used areas warmer or cooler than the rest of the house. Many people may like a warm living room in the winter, but wants a cool bedroom. This would be another reason for separate environmental areas.
Use a programmable thermostat. By using a programmable thermostat you can automatically turn down the heat when it’s least needed, at night when sleeping or during the day when no one is home. Have it raised to a comfortable level shortly before getting up or arriving home. Be certain that it is the correct type of programmable thermostat for your heating or cooling system. Some heat pumps and air conditioning systems require specialized programmable thermostats.
7) Use Water Wisely
Water may be free, but getting it from the ground to the home costs a lot. There’s the cost of pumping it from one location to another, as well as the cost of treating it to be at a useable state. There’s also the cost of removing and cleaning the waste water.
6) Use Energy-Efficient Products
Many older appliances use a great deal more energy than a new one. The 20 year old refrigerator may be working fine, but a newer one could use half of the energy.
Water heaters can use as much as 14% of the energy bill. The older it gets the less efficient it is with one over 10 years being as much as 50% less efficient than as it was when new.
And don’t forget the light bulbs. Most of the energy used by old style incandescent lights is turned into heat. A 15-Watt Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) gives the same light as a 60-Watt incandescent using a quarter of the energy.
5) Turn Off and Unplug
Unplug devices that use a transformer when not in use. Example; battery chargers. Whenever these devices are plugged in they consume minor amounts of energy. Many devices such as TVs and DVD players still use energy when not in use. Turning them off may only save a small amount of the total energy used. Unplug them when they won’t be used for a long period of time.
Turn off computers at night, and use sleep mode as often as possible. When not in use turn off televisions, radios and other entertainment equipment.
4) Light the area reasonably
Office lighting can be the one single source of using the largest amount of electric each month. Reducing the energy used by lights can make a quick and noticeable impact to the bill.
Many offices either use too much light or does not use the most efficient type of lighting. It’s important to have enough lights in an area so that it’s safe, but there may be places where lights can be removed, the size of the fixture reduced or more economical sources of light are use.
Use task lights to reduce the amount of overhead lights. Task lights puts the required amount of light on the project at hand allowing the room lights to be at a lower light level, therefore saving energy.
Don’t light areas that aren’t being occupied. Install timers and occupancy sensors. These are great in offices for restrooms, storage closets and copier rooms.
3) Make it a Habit
Habits are those things that we do without thinking. Developing a habit takes time. At first it may take some constant thoughts and reminders. By spending time considering your actions and doing the things to save energy each day, these actions will become a habit.
2) Pass Along the Word
It’s amazing how many people there are out there that just don’t know, don’t have an understanding or just need to have a person they know and respect to assure them. Pass along the information. Let your friends know when you replace an appliance and see a drop
in the electric bill. Or when they throw a plastic bottle or newspaper in the trash let them know it can be recycled and used again. The more people hear it from someone they know, the more apt they are to follow the advice.
1) Switch Off the Lights
When being the last to leave a room turn out the lights. It will always be saving energy with few exceptions also saving money.
Be Safe on the Information Highway
While we are on the Internet, either doing business or for fun, I’m sure the question has come to mind, How safe am I?
To put it bluntly, as safe as you want to be. In some ways you could compare the Internet to walking the streets in a big city. Most of the time, nothing will happen, but when it does, it could be murder.
If you walk the main streets of the Internet, usually no harm will befall you. But just like walking a big city streets when you venture into the dark alleys and the more dangerous sections, you are obviously going to be in more danger.
There are ways to help to be safe while using the Internet. One of the best ways is to be aware of what you are doing and think before reacting. If something appears too good to be true, it probably is. There aren’t really any ways to get rich by doing nothing.
Be prepared.
It can help by keeping the software on your computer up-to-date. Sometimes a newer version may need to be purchased, but often all that is needed is to make certain that the ones you are using have all of the security patches installed.
There are many malicious programs cruising the Internet. Some of those are just out there knocking on doors to see who answers. Others may be hiding in the shadows of attachments to emails messages that appear to be from friends.
To keep these malicious programs from infecting your computers, the computer needs to protected. Use Anti-virus programs and Anti-spyware. Anti-virus programs can be set up to scan the computer from time to time as well as to check email messages for hidden viruses. Anti-spyware can keep programs such as Adware (programs that sits your computer and feed ads to you) from taking roost on your computer
You will want to fun a firewall on your computer as well. A firewall hides the computer from automated attackers.
Just as walking the streets in a big city there are things to follow to keep you safe.
- Do Not Open Spam.
- Before opening an attachment, check and double check that it is not a malicious program. It’s easy to steal and fake someone email address so even attachments from someone you know may not safe, check.
- If while on the Internet an Ad pops up, such as one saying you have a virus on your computer, you may wonder how do they know. They don’t. They are just trying to sell you a product and lead you to their site.
- Purchase products from locations that you are familiar.
- If the site looks like it leads to a dangerous path, leave and don’t go back.
Strange Technology Quotes
Over the years there’s been many people have said things that if they had to say it again, they would have just kept their mouths shut. Here are some of those quotes.
“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” — Western Union internal memo, 1876.
“Everything that can be invented has been invented.” — Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.
“The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?” — David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s
“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” — H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.
“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” — Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” — Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977.
Now you are probably waiting to read the famous quote that Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft said. That being, “640k ought to be enough for anybody.” But that just happens to be an Urban Legend. Nowhere has it been documented that he spoke those words, and the closest may have been a conversation on the original IBM PC, which used a processor that could only be able to use 640k of memory.
But an interesting quote that I remember occurred in 1983 by the fictional character Travis McGee, created by the novelist John D. MacDonald, in the novel Cinnamon Skin. It goes as such;
“Soon the bosses of the microcomputer revolution will sell us preprogrammed units for each household which will provide entertainment, print out news, purvey mail-order goods, pay bills, balance accounts, keep track of expenses, and compute taxes. But by then the future managers will be over on the far side of the thickets, dealing with bubble memories, machines that design machines, projects so esoteric our pedestrian minds cannot comprehend them. It will be the biggest revolution of all, bigger than the wheel, bigger than Franklin’s kite, bigger than paper towels.”
In 1983 the IBM personal computer was only 2 years old, the MacIntosh was in development by Apple and Radio Shack was one of the major players in the computer industry. Fact can be stranger than fiction, but sometimes fiction can just predict the future.
Be a Tweep on Twitter
Twitter. I’m sure that by now you have heard about the Social Media site Twitter (twitter.com). As with most everything it has a language of its own. Learn it isn’t very hard, but long time users will throw the terms out as if they have been speaking the language for years.
Let’s look at some of the common terms:
Tweep:
This is a user of the network. As soon as you create an account you are a tweep and those who you follow are also tweeps.
Follow:
When you sign on to receive messages from people, you follow them. You also want tweeps to follow you.
Followers:
These are the people who are following you and want to hear what you have to say. Followers can be picky, since some don’t care what you say, while others are very interested and don’t care about mundane stuff. Followers can and probably will come and go. Followers are one way. You can follow a tweep, but that doesn’t mean they follow you. They have to follow you.
Tweet:
These are the messages you put onto the site for you followers to read, Messages are a maximum of 140 characters.
@(UserName)
This is used in a tweet when referencing another user. By doing this you create a like to that user that is clickable by your followers. Friends and business associates will often do this to help increase traffic to each other.
RT
Let’s say you see something from someone you are following that you think would be of interest to your followers. This is called a retweet, or rt.
DM
Direct Message. Use this to send a message to another user that only that person can see.
FF
Lately I have been seeing this on Fridays and I have just discovered that it means Follow Friday. Followers will post on Fridays and tag their friends and associates. This is used as a way to recommend others as a large referral mechanism. Usage is FF@(UserName).
#(term)
This is called a hashtag and has been used as a way to identify a certain topic and be able to quickly follow associated messages by inserting the # in front of the term or word or phrase (if no spaces are used).
Take a look at twitter and decide whether you want to make it a part of your Social Media Marketing Plan. With this you now have a bit more understanding of the site.
This site can be followed at twitter.com/SMBTechTips and I can be followed at twitter.com/SteveGAtkinson
Have You Done One of These?
We all have been using email, the telephone and cellphones for a longtime. Some of us may not even remember a time without cellphones or email. But at times the things we use every day become so common place that we will make embarrassing mistakes.
How recent have you done one of these? Or do one before the end of the year?
Email:
Use Reply All when intending reply only to the sender.
Send a list of email address embedded within the body of the message to someone who may be collecting addresses. Or send a private email address to a person that the address owner would rather not have it known.
Send an email referencing an attachment, without adding the attachment.
Be reminded that the attachment was not attached by a person who you are trying to impress.
Telephone:
Think that the telephone is muted and say something you don’t want the other party to hear. Or say something inappropriate.
Accidentally conference two parties together.
Erase a voice mail message that holds important information, more than likely it’ll be important contact information.
Start leaving a voice mail message to someone only to discover you are actually talking with the person.
Leave a message or adding to the message on someone’s voice mail thinking that you have been disconnected, but not.
Energy:
Turn the lights on in the supply room, forget to turn it off only to find that it was left on for the entire weekend. Worst a long weekend.
Wonder why the office is cold, use a space heater only to find that the thermostat was blocked from getting room air.
Cellphone
Forget to turn the ringer off on the cellphone before entering an important meeting and then have the phone ring. Worst case, heading a meeting and requesting that everyone silent theirs only to have yours ring.
Forget where you are while talking on the phone and talk about important or private information where others can hear.
Stop in mid conversation with someone to answer your cellphone without an apology.
Have a person respond to something you said while talking to the cellphone. Or respond to another person who is on their phone.
While there’s not a way to completely eliminate any of these things from occurring, by taking a second to think and not rushing can help.